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Airlines on Monday scrapped dozens of flights from Colombia, blaming dwindling fuel stocks — the cause of which industry officials and the government disagree about. National carrier Avianca, which according to Colombia’s air transport regulator canceled 24 flights Monday, said in a statement it had been advised by suppliers of a cap on kerosene deliveries “for the rest of the month.” Avianca flights to Sao Paulo, Santiago, Mexico City and Cancun were affected, according to the FlightAware tracking platform. For its part, Latin America’s largest airline, LATAM, said it has had to cancel 36 flights scheduled for Tuesday due to “restrictions on the supply of Jet A1 aviation fuel in some airports.” State oil company Ecopetrol said an “electrical failure” had affected production at the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar) between August 16 and 18. Ecopetrol announced it would import 100,000 barrels of aviation fuel, possibly leading to an increase in ticket prices, according to the transport ministry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned on Sunday that a fuel shortage would lead to flight cancellations and flights carrying fewer passengers per plane. According to IATA, which represents more than 300 airlines, distributors suspended fuel supply to 11 terminals, while for many others they issued alerts for “critical” stock levels.<br/>

Pilots at Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline, could walk off the job as early as Sept. 17, after 98% voted in favour of giving their union a strike mandate. Here’s what that would mean for travellers. Charlene Hudy, head of the Air Canada contingent of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), told The Canadian Press that wages are a major issue for the membership. Last year, WestJet, the country’s second largest airline, agreed to a contract that included a 24% compensation bump over four years. Over the last year and a half, new contracts have been signed between the four biggest U.S. airlines and their pilots, meaning some of those workers now make roughly double what Air Canada pilots are earning. “We all fly passengers under the Star Alliance,” Hudy said. “So we’re flying the same passengers in the same airspace on some of the very same routes, and those pilots are being compensated dramatically more than us.” The current collective agreement dates back to 2014, and expired last September. ALPA, which represents more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots, has been negotiating with the airline with the help of a federal conciliator since June 2023, The Canadian Press reports. Those talks are scheduled to end Monday, with a three-week cooling-off period meaning a strike could begin on Sept. 17 at the earliest.<br/>

Air Canada has announced it is further boosting its schedule serving Canada’s capital region with non-stop, international flights from Ottawa to London Heathrow. Flights will be operated four-times weekly with Air Canada’s Dreamliner fleet offering a choice of three cabins beginning March 31, 2025. Seats are available for purchase now at aircanada.com, via the Air Canada app, travel agents and Air Canada’s contact centres. “We are very pleased to solidify Air Canada’s leadership serving our country’s capital with the resumption of trans-Atlantic services beginning next spring. In addition to London being a top global destination, Heathrow is one of the world’s primary global gateways as well as home to Air Canada’s largest international operations. Conveniently located together with our Star Alliance partner airlines in The Queen’s Terminal, Air Canada offers customers easy connections to a vast array of more than 30 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa with our airline partners. With continued demand for visiting friends, relatives, leisure and tourism, as well as supporting business and corporate travel, this route gives customers from both the National Capital Region and abroad direct, convenient international travel options to and from Ottawa,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President – Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada.<br/>

Singapore Airlines will launch direct flights to Sydney’s new airport after it opens in 2026 under a deal that commits the first overseas airline to the A$5.3b project. Western Sydney Airport will add the Singapore flights to its existing plans for Qantas and Jetstar domestic flights, in a big win for the project as it nears 80% of construction. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Transport Minister Catherine King are expected to confirm the deal on Tuesday morning after months of work to gain an international flag carrier as an anchor supporter for the new airport. The commitment promises to heighten competition one day after King backed the idea of a new federal agency to stand up for passengers in disputes with airlines over cancelled flights, delayed arrivals and problems getting refunds. “We want to see lower airfares. We want to see more competition. We want to see improvements in services,” King told radio station 2GB on Monday. While the government is yet to pass laws to set up a new ombudsman to represent consumers, King backed the key principle that customers should receive the service that they’ve asked for and paid for. “And if they don’t, then they should get a refund or an equivalent service,” she said. The previous government rejected a deal with Sydney Airport eight years ago to allow the incumbent to operate the new airport, making Western Sydney Airport a federal enterprise that will compete for business. The new airport is intended to operate around-the-clock with no curfew, using 3.7-kilometre runway that can take aircraft as big as the Airbus A380. Singapore Airlines added capacity on its route to and from Sydney Airport last November, with a fifth daily return service, but is adding options to its future plans by backing Western Sydney Airport as well. The airline’s lower-cost subsidiary, Scoot, has 12 weekly return flights between Singapore and Sydney Airport.<br/>